Pastor’s Note 07/06/2023

Being a church that prays together doesn’t just happen on Sundays at worship. It can happen throughout the week, and this summer, we are going to pray together for the months of July and August. Over the next two months, each day take some time to pray the three prayers below; one in the morning when you wake up, one at midday (at 12:12pm) and one in the evening. These can be another our time of praying together.

 

Morning Prayer
A Prayer of Relinquishment
“Today, Lord, I yield myself to you.
May Your will be my delight today.
May You have your perfect sway in me.
May Your love be the pattern for my living.
I surrender to You my hopes,

my dreams, my ambitions.
Do with them what You will,

when You will, as You will.
I place into Your loving care my family,

my friends, my future.
Care for them with the care I can never give.
May You establish Your Kingdom through
my words, my hands, my feet,

for Jesus’ sake. Amen”

Mid-Day Prayer at 12:12pm
Our Father
“Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be Thy name;
Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts,

s we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom and the power

and the glory. Amen.”

Evening Prayer

A Prayer for our Church

Lord, we humbly come before you to guide us to be a good and beautiful community.

Guide us to know Jesus more intimately.

Fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we might dream and act in ways that seek

“Your Kingdom here, as it is in heaven.”

May we be a community that is…

A Holy Community…

A Hopeful Community…

A Serving Community…

A Christ-Centered Community…

A Reconciling Community…

An Encouraging Community…

A Generous Community…

A Worshipping Community…

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

 



Pastor’s Note 06/30/2023

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart 

and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

 

Last Thursday a group of us from LCPC watched an episode of The Chosen television series. One of the things that struck me in the midst of watching the episode was the ease that the children in the episode were able to recite the words of the Scriptures.

 

In one particular scene, Jesus asked a group of children to recite “The Shema” (the words from the above verses in Deuteronomy 6:4-5) and they all did. It was something that they had heard and learned in their homes and school all of their lives.

 

Knowing God’s Word is something that the Christ-follower needs in their life. It comes from reading, studying, memorizing and mediating on the Scriptures. We need to be a people of the Word.

 

Let me encourage you to be that type of person. On a daily basis, take some time to read the Bible and on a regular basis take some time to study God’s Word. Let me make a few suggestions on where you can dig in a bit deeper.

 

  • Open your Bible and read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Reading and understanding more about the life of Jesus is one of the best ways to know the Scriptures. (If you need a new Bible let me know and I will recommend one or get you one.)
  • Use a Daily Devotional Guide. LCPC offers free copies of the daily devotional “Our Daily Bread” which is another way to get a bit deeper into God’s Word. It is easy to read God’s Word. This is one of many different daily devotional guides. Others that I would recommend are “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers; The Upper Room (a website that offers daily devotionals – https://www.upperroom.org); “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young
  • Use a Discipleship Website. There are numerous websites that can help you dig deeper into God’s Word. One that I will recommend is from The Navigators, a discipleship ministry that helps Christians grow in Christ (https://www.navigators.org/resource/personally-apply-scripture/?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=d!_06/27/23_949206&utm_term=how_to_apply_scripture_to_your_everyday_life&utm_content=how_to_apply_scripture_to_your_everyday_life_bible_study&sf_ac=949206&cid=%7B%7BRecipient.ID%7D%7D)

 

Let’s be a people who are known for being students of the Word, who know His Word, who consistently read God’s wonderful ongoing story of redemption.

 

See you on Sunday.